Who's going to save me?
by Monroe5
Summary: What happens when the one who always saved you in the past is the one you need saving from?
1. Chapter 1

SM owns her stuff, not me.

Domestic violence causes far more pain than the visible marks of bruises and scars. It is devastating to be abused by someone that you love and think loves you in return - Dianne Feinstein

Chapter One

**BELLA'S POV**

Over my life I had been given many opportunities to think about how I would die.

First and foremost there was my own stupid clumsiness. There were too many times to count when I had injured myself in some form or another. I could fall down sitting. It was a miracle that I had lived as long as I had.

That though was all before I met my vampire husband and the real danger to my breathing life started.

Then there was a van that almost crushed me to death, the gang of drunken rapists in Port Angeles, the psychotic James, the Volturi in Italy, Victoria and her merry army of vampire newborns, or even my own brother-in-law at my birthday party, all of which Edward had saved me from.

I would never have imagined in the end my death would be at the hands of the one who had protected me against all others who had tried to harm me.

I never dreamed the one who had claimed I was his life would be ending mine.

I could smell the blood, my blood hanging heavy in the air. I could feel it sticky and thick trickling down my head pooling on the hardwood floor of our house, a home which had become not only my prison, but also a war zone.

Once I would have been panicked over the thought of my spilled blood for fear of the temptation to my husband, but I had painfully learned that he was more desensitized to my blood then I could ever imagine.

I never thought that I would become one of those girls. Maybe that was because I never would have imagined for one second that Edward would ever be one of those men. Not my sweet, sensitive, Edward.

I could hear him moving around behind me, but it was faint, as if he was far away. Or maybe it was me who that was getting farther and farther away.

I had thought that he had gone for medical supplies to patch me back up after he had broken me as he had so many times before, but it was becoming alarmingly clear that this was not the case this time.

It seemed this time he had no intention of fixing me again.

As sad as it sounded I was almost relieved. I could not take the pain anymore. I was more mentally tired then physically tired. My body kept on healing, but my mind was on the verge of no repair.

I could not believe this was how it was going to end. I thought that I was going to live forever with this perfect man. I would have done anything for him, given up anything for him, and I had.

I had married him to make him happy though I never had any desire to marry. I gave up friends and family for him. I moved across the country for him. But nothing was ever enough for him. I was never enough for him.

Things after the wedding had been amazing in the beginning. We moved to New Hampshire and enrolled in Dartmouth even though all I wanted was to be changed and start that life with him. I didn't need to experience college life, but I did it because it was important for him.

I would admit though that once I was there I really began to enjoy it. I took classes like The Nineteenth-Century English Novel and Creative Writing: Fiction. I was learning about thinks I loved, not worrying about a career and how I was going to support myself.

That was in large part to the fact that now that we were married there was no convincing Edward that I needed to earn my own money, though I tried.

'_Bella, really, why must you bring this up again? __You know money is not an issue to me. We are here for you to experience college life, not to work some pathetic job for minimal wage.'_

'_Edward it isn't so much about the money. I like working and it is only part time. This is the perfect job for me at the bookshop.'_

'_No. I want you with me as much as possible. I already lose eight hours a night that you are sleeping and then classes.'_

'_Well if you would just change me then that would not be a problem.'_

'_We have talked about this and now is not the right time. In a year or two we will reassess the situation.'_

'_It is not the right time for you. I was ready a long time ago. As far as a year or two, there is no way I am waiting that long. I agreed to six months.'_

'_It is not about what you agreed to. When I am ready it will happen and not a second before it.'_

'_Edward…'_

"_End of discussion. No job. No change. Now if you want something to focus your attention on try being a good wife.'_

That was the first taste I got of the Edward I would come to not only fear, but loath.

I always knew two things about Edward. One, was he was very old fashion in his beliefs. Those beliefs included marriage and no sex until you were married. It also included a man supported by his wife. I would soon learn that it also meant to him that his wife was his property to do what he wanted with. This went hand in hand with the second thing I always knew about Edward, his need for control. Not just control over himself, but control over everything else, including me.

The first time that Edward ever hurt me, intentionally, it was a month after classes started. Some people in my creative writing class were going out for coffee to discuss an upcoming project for class. At first I was hesitant to go, but as much as I loved Edward I was craving some conversation with real people that didn't know vampires existed; who was worried only about getting a good grade or hooking up with some random person at some random party.

My cell phone started ringing as soon as my class ended. Of course it was Edward. It was the only person who called me because it was the only person who had this number. All the Cullen's and even Charlie and Renee had Edward's number. If I talked to any of them it was only after Edward approved it.

I wasn't ready to go home so I ignored his call and his call after that and all his calls after that. I drank coffee and laughed about our crazy professor and I discussed my favorite books and then I declined an invitation to go to some party and I went home.

Before I was even out of the car, Edward was on the porch waiting for me. He didn't have to say anything. The look on his face was deadly. I had never seen him that angry before, at least at me.

'_Where have you been?' he demanded grabbing me by the arm hurling me inside slamming the door behind me._

'_That hurts,' I whimpered. I knew I was going to have bruises. If he pressed any harder bruises were going to be the least of my worries. He was about to crush my arm. _

'_I asked you where you were,' he hissed in my face, his eyes had never been so black before. _

'_I was having coffee with some people after class.'_

'_I called you, ten times.'_

'_I must have forgotten to turn it back on after class,' I lied afraid to tell him that I just didn't answer his calls. I never feared Edward before, but in that moment I feared him. _

'_Why would you do that? Why wouldn't you call me to see if it was okay? Didn't you think I would be here waiting, worrying about you, expecting you to be home right after class?'_

'_I didn't really think that it was that big of a deal.'_

'_You were not thinking at all. You know I expect for you to come straight home after class. There is no reason for you to be going out with random strangers. Remember you are married.'_

'_Of course I remember I am married,' I told him, not knowing what going out for coffee with some people had to do with be married. _

'_Well act like it instead of some slut looking to hook up.'_

'_It was just coffee.'_

'_This is about so much more then coffee. This is about you disrespecting me. This is about your continued willfulness. This is about you not caring about how I feel or what I want. This will not happen again,' he demanded, his teeth clenched together. 'Will it?" he asked pressing harder._

'_No, Edward.'_

'_Good.'_

The next day when Edward saw the bruises he had caused, he apologized over and over and promised me it would never happen again. Of course I forgave him because I would forgive him anything and because I believed him. How could I not, when from the moment that I met him he had done nothing but try to protect me.

But our relationship continued to erode away after that, becoming more of a dictatorship then a real relationship.

It started out as _concern._

Edward threw out all the food in the kitchen claiming that it was unhealthy. He then filled it will nothing but fruit and vegetables, insisting that I to become a vegetarian.

'_I have no desire to be a vegetarian. I like meat and I like pop-tarts. You don't even eat food so why does it matter what I choose to eat?' _

That comment got me more bruises and some bruised ribs. It also got me more apologies and a new IPOD already preloaded with Edward's approved choices of music.

Then he insisted that I go to the doctor, once the bruises healed, and get a complete physical from head to toe, inside and out. It was only his concern for my health he told me once again. He just wanted to know that I was okay, that there was nothing wrong with me.

'_It won't matter once you change me.'_

That one deemed more bruises and a broken arm and more apologies and a new laptop.

After that was the dentist, for cleaning and whitening, but mostly to fix the chipped tooth caused by him.

It was my clothes next. I came home from class one day to find all of my clothes donated and my closet refilled with appropriate articles of clothing for someone of my status and position as a wife of a Cullen.

That was enough for me and I stormed out of the house, getting in my car and driving to anywhere other then where I had been. It was not the first time I thought about leaving him, but it was the first time that I ever made it farther then the front door.

I might have kept running but I had no money, no credit cards. Edward gave me no more then a few dollars at a time and didn't allow me to have a bank card or credit card of my own.

'_Anything that you need, just let me know and I will purchase it for you.'_

'_If I had a job of my own like I wanted I could just buy what I wanted myself.'_

Seven stitches in my leg falling onto the coffee table was the result of that statement. You would have thought that I would have learned to keep my thoughts to myself, but I was never that good at being a living doll and that was what he was trying to turn me into.

Too soon the gas in the car headed towards empty and with me not having no means to refill it, I had no choice but to head back home.

The moment I walked into the house I was met by the back of Edward's hand. I crumpled to the floor, blood dripping from my mouth and my nose. He could have killed me with that one blow, but that was not his intention. It never was. He was in complete control. He only wanted to hurt me, punish me, make sure I knew he was in control of whether I lived or died.

He didn't apologize to me this time. He just cleaned my wounds and told me, _'You will never leave me again.'_

I had bruises on my face for two weeks after that. I couldn't go to class which Edward loved because now I was there twenty-four-seven and he had complete control over me. He liked it so much that he insisted that I drop out of school.

'_What happened to me experiencing college life?'_

'_I think that you have experienced enough. College has become too much about sex and drugs and little to do with education. None of those things are things you need to worry about experiencing. You just need to focus on me and being a wife. I was thinking that it would be a good time to relocate. I like the idea of going to medical school again and you can decorate our house and chair some charities.'_

'_What happened to changing me?'_

'_I told you not to bring that up again. It is my decision and I am not going to do it any time soon.'_

'_That is okay. I've decided that I don't want to spend forever with you anymore.'_

That was the words that had gotten me in this predicament. He hit me so hard that I flew across the room, hitting the wall and the mirror. I was not sure if it was from the glass alone that I was bleeding, but I knew I was bleeding in more then one place. I wondered if he had broken my back because I could not feel my legs.

So this was it. Edward was not going to save me again. He was finally going to let me die. He was going to let me die rather than change me, which I was sure was the only thing that was going to save me this time.


	2. Chapter 2

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. ~Leo Buscaglia

CHAPTER TWO

**BELLA'S POV**

When I woke up I knew I was still alive, that or I was in hell. I hurt all over. My head hurt beyond description. It was throbbing and pounding. It hurt so bad that when I opened my eyes, the dim light in the room hurt my fuzzy vision. I closed them, trying to stop the pain, but also because I just wasn't ready to look at what remained of my life.

He hadn't let me die after all. He had saved me once again. God, I wished he hadn't. I wished that he had just let me die. I didn't want to have to go through this again. No, I didn't think that I could go through this again.

All my life had become was a perpetual cycle of Edward hurting me, letting me heal, and hurting me all over again. Well that was until this last time. He hadn't even allowed me to heal completely this time before he crushed me all over.

It was my fault, though. Well that was what Edward kept telling me every time he hurt me. '_Why do you make me keep doing this to you? Do you think I like hurting you? What I ask of you is not that difficult. All I ask is that you listen to me and do what I ask. You also know how I feel about you talking back. I think you like it when I hurt you. That has to be it because you keep doing all the things you know will make me angry.'_

The thing was; everything and anything I did set him off. I walked around on eggshells trying not to make him mad. There were times that I thought just me breathing made him mad.

"Bella, can you hear me?" His voice was soft, full of concern. It was not Edward's voice. His voice held no concern for me anymore.

"Bella, if you can hear me please squeeze my hand. I'm here now and everything is going to be alright," he said and I finally realized whose voice was so soothing. It was Carlisle.

What was Carlisle doing there? Had Edward called him? Had Edward hurt me so badly that he needed Carlisle to put me back together?

What had Edward told him? I couldn't imagine that he told him the truth. He probably just told him that it was my own clumsy self falling down the stairs. That was a favorite excuse for him. That and I tripped over my own feet, I wasn't looking where I was going, I ran into the counter, the door, etc…

I wasn't ready to face Carlisle and his questions just yet so I simply did as he asked and squeezed his hand to let him know I was awake.

"Good girl. Now you sleep and heal. There is nothing to worry about anymore. You don't have to be afraid anymore," he assured me and though I didn't believe him, I pretended I did and slipped back to sleep.

The next time I opened my eyes it was dark. There was a small light on in the room. I could hear voices outside the door. I couldn't make out who the voices belonged to, but I knew there were many more then Carlisle's or Edward's.

I honestly just wished whoever it was, would just go away, including Carlisle. I couldn't face any of them. How could I? How could I explain to them what had happened? I didn't think I could, but at the same time I didn't think that I could lie to them either. I was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Edward was their son and brother. I was just, Bella, the human, who had come into their life and turned it upside down.

"She's awake," I heard in the sing song voice that I would know anywhere, Alice. This was just freaking perfect. If Carlisle and Alice was here, that meant the whole family was here.

Alice was the last person that I wanted to see. Though I knew it was irrational, there was this part of me that blamed her for what had continued to happen, all seeing Alice and she hadn't seen even once when Edward had beat me. It was impossible for me to believe, which only meant she saw nothing wrong with the abuse that I suffered.

"Let me go in alone for the time being," Carlisle whispered, the concern still in his voice which meant I must be in bad shape.

He walked in and checked the monitor beeping above me that read all the tubes connected to me. Then he sat down quietly next to my bed.

"Bella?"

"Water…please," I said not ready to talk. My throat was so dry that it felt like each word was a razor blade slicing up my throat. Instantly a small cup appeared at my lips and I drank greedily until the cup was empty.

"More please," I asked. Three cups later I finally felt satisfied.

"How are you feeling?"

"Tired."

"I gave you some medication to help with pain which has a side affect of drowsiness. Other then that, how are you feeling?" he asked again.

"Sore."

"I would imagine so. You are pretty banged up. What happened to you?" he asked as I knew he would. The question was what I was going to tell him.

"Where is Edward?" I questioned, worried. The last thing that I wanted to do was have him hear me telling Carlisle something different then what he had told him.

"You don't have to worry about Edward right now. I am concerned only about you and what happened," he softly said, placing his hand on mine. I wanted to pull away; it felt strange to feel a touch that was meant for comfort and not pain.

"What did Edward tell you?" I asked staring into his eyes.

"Edward told me that you tripped down the stairs," he simply said. I knew it.

"I tripped down the stairs," I repeated, like a good girl.

"Bella, you don't have to lie to me. I know what happened."

"Then why are you asking me what happened then?" I snapped at him and instantly regretted it when the hurt formed in his face.

"Where is Edward?" I asked of him. I was shocked that he was letting Carlisle in here alone with me. Then again it was not like he couldn't hear everything that was being said and even if he couldn't he could read it in his thoughts.

I bet this whole thing was some kind of test. His family probably knew the whole time what was going on and thought nothing of it. Like I said, how could they not know with Alice. Edward was seeing if given the chance would I confess all. He would see, I could be trusted and then maybe I would make him happy, at least for a little while. At least until I had healed completely.

"Edward is not here."

"Where is here?" I asked suddenly realizing that we were not at Edward's and my house.

"We are in our home in New Hampshire. That was why we were so close when Alice saw…well what she saw," he paused as if he couldn't bring himself to say the evil things that his son had done to me. "We were going to surprise you and Edward with the news that we had relocated to be closer to you guys."

"Where is Edward?" I asked again, thinking that he must be hovering around somewhere, making sure that I did and said all the right things to his family.

"He is out with Jasper and Emmett at the moment. You don't have to worry about Edward anymore. You are safe here. He isn't going to hurt you ever again."

"I don't know what you are talking about," I told him.

"Bella?"

"I'm very tired. I would like to go to sleep now," I told him, trying to avoid talking to him.

"Alright. We will have plenty of time to talk when you are feeling better. Is there anything that I can get you?" he asked and _'a one way ticket to anywhere else'_ hung on my tongue for a moment before I said, "Some more pain medicine. I'm hurting pretty bad," I said, thinking I could handle the pain, but the pain medicine made me sleep and all I was looking for at the moment was to escape into the darkness for awhile longer.

"Of course," he said to me before pumping some more drugs into me and then leaving.

I closed my eyes and let the drug take over. It was nice to have the pain stop for a little while. It was nice to fade away into the nothingness considering some times even in my dreams Edward haunted me. I was always running from him. I was always apologizing to him and promising I'll be good this time. At least this drug let me escape completely, at least for now.

The next time that I woke up out of the nothingness it was light out. I was still in the same room, but I was not alone. Alice was sitting, motionless at the foot of my bed. I knew she knew I was awake, but she didn't look up at me for the longest time.

I had never seen Alice so still before. It was as if someone had drained all the excitement and energy out of her. It concerned me.

"Alice…"

"Bella…" Her tone was cold, distant.

"What are you guys doing here?"

"As Carlisle already explained to you we have relocated here. I had a vision that we were going to be needed. I see as always I was right."

"Is that the only visions you have had?" I dared to question. I might have held onto that question if she wasn't acting so bitter towards me, as if I had interrupted her life, as if everything was my fault. Maybe to her it was. She had always been extremely close to Edward, so her taking his side was not surprising.

"I have visions all the time Bella, is there something in particular that you are asking about?"

"No, not really, nothing in particular," I told her closing my eyes so I didn't have to see the accusation in her eyes.

"I didn't see you falling down the stairs if that's what you are asking."

I wanted to say, DUH, that was because I never did, but of course I kept my mouth closed.

"I didn't see what happened to you at all. I only saw Edward deciding to let you die from your injuries rather then change you."

I gasped at her comment; spoken so indifferent, as if she couldn't care a less if I died. In fact she looked rather detached in general to the whole situation.

"Of course Carlisle rushed over here to save you. He really does see you as one of his own children and he would never let anything happen to you. He even fought with Edward over it when we arrived. Carlisle said if he could not save you he would change you and Edward said he would not allow that. We didn't have to worry about that because the good doctor was able to patch you back up. So now that you know all that, do you want to tell me what has been going on with you and Edward?" Alice demanded.

"Nothing."

"Well can you be sure to tell everyone else that because they all think that Edward has been, you know, hitting you. I know how crazy it sounds, but after how Edward was acting and Carlisle's exam he came up with this crazy notation that you're being abused. I was like, is this some movie of the week or something. Besides I would have seen something if something was happening."

"Of course you would."

"So everything is fine with you, right, besides the obvious?"

"Fine, Alice, everything is just fine," I told her. Of course I wasn't sure, but something told me that Alice knew more then she was saying. That, and the fact that whatever was happening, she was on Edward's side. I had lost a friend and gained an enemy.

"Good because Edward will be here any second."


	3. Chapter 3

We all live in a house on fire, no fire department to call; no way out, just the upstairs window to look out of while the fire burns the house down with us trapped, locked in it – Tennessee Williams

CHAPTER THREE

**BELLA'S POV**

I felt like an animal trapped in a cage, watching breathless as someone put the key in the lock, hoping to be freed and realizing they would never turn it. It was heartbreaking and unbearable. That was what having the Cullen's come and not save me had meant to me.

I was truly alone with nowhere to go and no one to save me. The only way I was ever going to escape the torture and torment was when Edward finally did kill me.

There was no other outcome. He was never going to stop. He would continue to inflict his vicious attacks on me and I would continue to take it until I could take no more.

Though it was amazing how much a body could take before it broke. Bruises faded, bones healed, but the scars that never went away were the ones on the inside.

"Let me in to see her," I heard Edward hiss and I tensed in fear. I heard the anger in his voice. I knew the sound and what it meant. I was in trouble. I was in for the beating of my life.

"As soon as you calm down," Carlisle told him, his voice strained.

"I am calm," Edward breathed. "I am just worried about my wife. Any of you would be acting the same way I am if it was your mate in there. You know how I feel about Bella. She is my life. I can't lose her."

God, he was good. He was a master of proper appearances. He knew what everyone wanted and expected from him and he gave it to them. And anytime that altered all he did was read their thoughts and corrected what needed to be corrected so that everything appeared perfect again.

"I understand, but she is very frail right now. She needs time to heal and rest. You can see her, but be brief. And whatever you do, do not upset her."

I didn't hear him answer and before I could fully prepare he was in the room next to me. His face was full of tension and anger. I knew if we were alone I would already be crumbled on the floor, bloody and battered. I also knew that when we were finally alone he would make up for it.

"How are you feeling love?"

"Better now that you are here," I told him, knowing what he expected me to say.

"I was so worried about you. Jasper and Emmett had to take me for a hunt just to try to calm me down," he explained to me all the time he was writing on some paper he found in the room.

He flipped it over to show me what he had written.

'_They can hear every word we speak so mind your words. Did you tell them anything?'_

I shook my head no. He wrote more.

'_Did you tell them you fell down the stairs?'_

I shook my head yes.

"Is there anything that I can get you?"

"Thank you Edward, but I need nothing, but you," I recited.

'_Did you say anything you shouldn't to anyone?'_

I shook my head no.

'_I will find out if you did.'_

I just shook my head no again.

'_Good.'_

"You rest my sweet love and I am going to go talk to Carlisle about getting you home," he told me and I felt my stomach tighten in fear at the thought about going home alone with him and what he was going to do with me when we were back in the little house of horrors.

Once he was gone the terror started to sink in more and more until I was about to go into a complete panic attack. He just wanted to get me home so that he could finish the job. I was the only link to his true nature. I was the only one who knew the real monster that Edward was. If he got rid if me then no one would ever know.

Oh God oh God oh God….

Maybe I could escape. If I could just get Carlisle to let me stay here for a few more nights then maybe I could find a way to escape. Escape to where though?

Not only did I not have two cents to rub together, but I could barely lift my head, let alone run away. Where would I go anyways? I couldn't go to either of my parents. It would be the first place Edward would look for me; besides I did not trust Edward not to harm them.

Maybe I could go to Jacob. The pack might be able to protect me, but that also meant putting them in danger. I couldn't do that either.

Maybe I could go to the Volturi and ask them to turn me themselves. Once I was a vampire I could protect myself from Edward. But that was a risk too because the Volturi might not look so kindly on the fact that I was still human and take revenge not only on me, but the Cullen's. I didn't care if the Volturi ripped Edward limb from limb, but I still cared about Carlisle and Esme and I could never put their lives in danger.

I really was all alone with nowhere to go and no one to turn to.

Oh God oh God oh God….

If I just had someone who knew the truth, who I could trust, who was on my side then maybe I would have a chance. But who? Who was going to save me?

"Bella…" I heard, making me jump. A wave a calm shot over me letting me breathe.

"Can I come in?" Jasper softly asked from the doorway.

"Of course," I whispered back not really knowing what he wanted. I wanted to know where Edward was. He would not like the idea of Jasper being in here with me. No he wouldn't just not like it; he would hate it.

"How are you feeling?" he asked sitting down in the chair on the opposite side of the room.

"I am okay. Sore but doing better. Where is Edward?" I questioned holding my breath waiting for him to storm in there and go nuts.

"Carlisle and he went over to your house to talk privately."

"Really?" I asked in relief.

"Really and Esme, Alice, and Emmett went shopping. Only Rosalie and I are here so if there is something that you want to talk about, there are no ears to hear," he explained to me.

"What could I need to talk about?" I asked still thinking that Edward was testing me. Jasper might just being telling me that Edward was not around. He was probably standing right outside the door, listening to every word spoken.

"Bella you can say anything that you want. You can tell us you are happy and in love until you are blue in the face, but I know that you are lying. And do you know why I know this? Because I can feel how you feel. I could feel the panic and terror the second you heard Edward's voice. Not only that, but your voice trembled with each word you spoke to Edward. There was relief to when I told you he was not here. You are scared and desperate. Tell me Bella. I promise you that I will do whatever I can to help you."

"So will I," Rosalie announced from the doorway.

"Tell us Bella, tell us what has been happening?" Jasper questioned. He must have sent a dose of confidence at me because suddenly I wasn't afraid.

"You have to swear to me that this never goes back to Edward or anyone else. No matter what happens it stays between the three of us."

"Promise," Rosalie said.

"I promise," Jasper assured me.

"Edward has been…." I started to say, but the words hung in my throat unable to speak the words because once I said them there was no taking them back. Tears started to fall as I struggled to confess my deepest, darkest secret.

"It is okay. How about we just ask you a question and you just have to answer yes or no. How does that sound?" Jasper questioned getting up to stand at the foot of my bed. Rosalie followed him over and sat down on the side of me taking my hand into hers.

It was such a kind gesture on her part that it overwhelmed me and the tears that had been quietly slipping out poured out in waves until I was hyperventilating. But then the calm hit me again and I finally was able to get some control.

"We don't know how long everyone is going to be gone so we need to use this time wisely. Okay Bella?" Jasper explained to me taking control of the situation. But it was not like how Edward took control. I didn't feel fear with Jasper. It might just be his power, but I felt safe. It might be false hope, but it was all the hope that I had.

"Did you fall down the stairs?" Rosalie asked her eyes dark and demanding. Though I didn't feel afraid of her either. I knew her anger was directed towards Edward.

"No."

"I knew it. That no good son of a bitch…"

"Did Edward push you down the stairs?" Jasper asked stopping Rosalie's rant.

"No," I told them and finally decided that if they were going to go out on a limb to help me; the least I could do was be honest with them.

"Then what happened?" Jasper asked, sending me some more confidence, knowing what I needed to get through this.

"Things were perfect for a little while when we got here, but quickly it all changed. Edward changed. He became so controlling, so angry, and so unhappy with me. It started out slow with him insisting on what I wore, what I eat, where I went and when until I went nowhere. He never gave me any money or let me work so I had any of my own. I became a prisoner in our house. I was not allowed to use the phone or the internet. He told me what to say when I talked to you and my parents. He expected me to do as he said at all times, to never question his decisions. And when I did that was when it all went from bad to worse," I told them choking on the next words. I was scared. Scared to hope. Scared to believe that there was a chance to escape the pain, escape the prison that my life had become. It was all in their hands and I had to trust them.

"Grabbing my arm too hard or pushing me was how it started which lead to a slap until he was using me as a punching bag. This was not the first time that I ended up near death. Usually though Edward patched me up so no one knew what happened. That was until it happened too often to allow healing. That was when I stopped going to school and was forced to stay in the house at all times. I had no way to escape. Edward never even sleeps so it was 24 hours a day of being on edge waiting for him to flip out on me. I came to know that one day Edward was going to kill me and no one would be there to save me," I whispered sobbing.

"It is going to be okay. I swear to you that from this moment on he is never going to hurt you again," Rosalie assured me.

"How?" I whimpered.

"Leave it to us, but we are going to have to move fast."

"No Edward will find us. He will never let me go. He told me he would kill me before he allowed that to happen."

"I am not scared of Edward. I'm not a frail human that he can use and abuse and he knows it," Jasper explained to me through gritted teeth. I could feel how angry he was. He was trying to control it, but it was seeping out around him. I knew what Jasper was capable of and if anyone could protect me from Edward it was him.

"Alice will see whatever you decide and she will tell him. She doesn't believe me. She told me so or maybe she does, but she doesn't care," I rambled thinking about my conversation with Alice. I still did not believe her when she said she never saw anything. It didn't make sense and what made even less sense was her siding with Edward.

"I am aware of Alice's opinion and I am also aware of how to get around her gift. You just have to trust that I know what I am doing and that I will protect you. Can you do that?" Jasper questioned of me his voice strong and sure. How could I not? (I'm not sure if you meant option or opinion.)

"Yes."

"Good. Now let's get you out of here."

"Wait. I'm not really sure if I can make it."

"You don't have to worry Bella. I can take care of you. Edward and Carlisle is not the only doctor in the family," Rosalie assured me with a smile, unplugging the tubes connected to me.

"Alright, let's get out of here," Jasper told me, gently lifting me up into his arms. In that moment I felt happy. I felt relief and I felt real hope that I had a chance. I smiled at Jasper thinking _'my knight and shining hero'_ had come to save me. Who would have ever thought it would be Jasper. And Rosalie, too. That was a shock considering my best friend had turned against me.

"Wait just a minute," I heard from the hall and my heart sunk.


	4. Chapter 4

"To suffering there is a limit; to fearing, none." _-_Sir Francis Bacon

CHAPTER FOUR

**ROSALIE'S POV**

"I knew that you guys were planning something," Emmett's voice shot into the room. "What's going on?" he questioned, filling the small room with his massive body.

"Emmett, where is Alice and Esme?" I demanded. I mean, seriously, could he not follow my orders at all. _Keep Alice away._ How simple was that?

"They are still shopping," he informed me.

"Where do they think you went?" I asked, pissed he was there, but all the same I was happy to have him here with us. If someone did come back before we were able to get out of here, we could use him.

"I told them the truth; I was bored out of my mind with shopping and was coming back. So what is the plan?"

"The plan is to get Bella out of here before Edward comes back."

"I'm coming with you."

"No you are not."

"Why not?"

"Because we are trying to stay under Alice's radar and the less people involved the better," Jasper explained to him. I was still not sure of his reasons behind involving himself in all this. I knew he cared about Bella, but I never saw more than that. So for him to go against his own wife to rescue Bella when I volunteered to do it alone, made me question his motives.

"How come Rose gets to go?"

"For one Rose can treat Bella just as well as Carlisle and two she can control her thoughts so that Alice does not see what we are doing and where we are going."

"Come on I can be trusted. It isn't like I ever make any decisions myself anyways. Besides you know I can't be without Rose for long. Please let me go. I will behave. I will do whatever you tell me to. I can be a good boy. I promise. I will try real hard and…"

"Alright, fine but we have to go. Carlisle is only going to keep Edward away for so long," Jasper told him stepping around him with Bella still in his arms.

Jasper walked out of the house and up to a black SUV. Emmett opened the back door and Jasper handed Bella to him before climbing in the back. Once he was seated he told Emmett to hand Bella to him. Very gently Emmett laid her across Jasper's lap. I wondered how long he was going to handle her being that close to him. I shot him a questioning look in the rearview window which he returned with a nod, which told me he was fine.

"Where are we going?" Emmett asked once he had taken his place in the front next to me. I knew he wanted to be the one driving, but I knew that he needed to be kept in the dark as much as possible. I loved my husband, but he could not be trusted.

"No decisions, remember?" I scolded, reminding him.

"Sooner or later a decision is going to have to be made."

"What do you think we should be doing?" Jasper questioned, from the back. His tone was light, but the mood in the car was thick with tension, much of which was coming from Jasper.

"I would head north to Canada."

"Alright then, Rose head to Canada," Jasper told me.

"You're really going to listen to me?" Emmett asked in utter surprise.

"Why won't we?" Jasper asked him, though I knew that we were not going to listen to Emmett. Jasper was just trying to pacify Emmett and also in hopes that Alice would see Emmett making the decision to head to Canada.

"Cool. You heard him Rosie, head to Canada."

Quiet settled in the car for awhile until I heard Jasper's voice.

"It's alright. Go to sleep. Things will be better when you wake. I promise," Jasper told Bella, stroking her hair. I couldn't help but feel the calm that began to invade the interior as Jasper tweaked Bella's emotions.

I was thankful for the relief, also. My emotions were dark and heavy as the whole situation weighed down on me. It wasn't just Bella. I couldn't get around my own memories of my human life. I had lost so many of my memories from when I was human, yet those never faded. They would haunt me forever.

"How is she doing?" I questioned of Jasper, sometime later, when I was sure Bella was sound asleep.

"She is hanging in there. She is strong. I believe she will recover physically from her injuries, but I am not so sure about her mental health. Her emotions are very unstable at the moment," Jasper informed me, still rubbing her hair, as she softly slept in his arms.

How could she be alright mentally? It was hard enough to handle when someone you don't know hurts you, but to come to terms with the concept that someone you love is capable of such hatred towards you, is almost too much to bear. Knowing how she felt about Edward, I wondered too, if she was ever going to overcome his ultimate betrayal.

"How are you feeling?" I asked her hours later when we settled in. I got up to turn on a small light. I could see her perfectly, but I knew she would feel better being able to see me as well.

"Where are we?" Bella asked me, shifting slightly. She winced as even that small movement brought pain to her.

"Nowhere," I told her and she knew what I was saying. We were nowhere and we were going no place.

"Have you heard from him…?" she dared to ask. I didn't have to have Jasper's gift to feel the anxiety and fear emitting from her. I didn't know though if she feared that we had or if we hadn't.

I had felt that same fear before and though I had not lived long enough to experience the panic of wondering when he was coming to finish the job, I knew how it felt to be hurt, destroyed by someone you thought loved you.

There was no doubt in me that Edward was going to come for her. He would never let her go. He would never give up until he found us and punished us all, if he got the chance. If he did he would end Bella's life for good. I knew that now. I knew that he wished her dead. He had used and abused her until there was nothing left, so the only option left to him, was to end it all for her. She would already be dead if it was not for the intervention of Carlisle, Jasper and I.

"The first call came from Carlisle. He was worried about how you were doing, not that we had left. He was relieved. He knew that he was not going to be able to keep Edward away from you for long. Jasper handled Alice's call. She was off the chart. Jasper hung up on her. We didn't answer Edward's call. Jasper is out getting some new phones that he can't trace."

"He is going to find us sooner or later," Bella announced, matter-of-factly.

"Not if we can help it and even if he does, he will be no match for us."

"You don't know him, not the real him. He is…"

"A monster," I hissed.

His secret was out. We all saw what kind of dark monster that really lived in him. There was no hiding the truth. And there was no going back, no matter what happened to Bella, Edward was never going to be welcome in this family again. Not that the family was ever going to be the same, lines had been drawn and some had went to the other side.

"I tried to be what he wanted. I wanted to make him happy, but nothing that I did ever made him happy. I loved him so much. I thought that he loved me just as much. Why didn't he love me?"

"Edward does not know the meaning of the word. If I ever get my hands on him, I swear I am going to show him how it feels to be LOVED."

"Please don't hurt him."

"How could you say that after everything that he did to you? Have you not looked at your own body?" I demanded, my anger rising.

"It's not as bad as it seems, you know how clumsy I am. Half of those I inflicted on myself," Bella defended of him which made my venom boil.

"Really? How about these?" I demanded, pointing to the bruises covering her face. "Or how about these?" I asked gesturing to her arms so covered in bruises that her pale skin was invisible.

She just stared at me because we both knew that there was no defense. Her body was a road map littered with his love for her.

"Or how about all the other scars that litter your body that aren't fresh? He has been using you as a punching bag and still you defend him."

"He wasn't always like this, you know that. The Edward that I fell in love with was a kind, sweet man that could never hurt me. What if I'm to blame for turning him into this…this…soulless monster?"

"The only one to blame is Edward. I don't care if you have to repeat it over and over in your head until you finally realize it. And if that doesn't work, then I will drill it in your brain every day myself."

"Why do you even care? You hate me. You have hated me from day one. Why do you suddenly give a damn if Edward beats the crap out of me every day of my life?" Bella asked, looking away from me.

"I don't hate you. I might not like you much, but I never completely hated you. I just did not agree with decisions you made. There was also the fact that you were putting my family at risk. Couple that with the knowledge that Edward was not right for you, well there never could have been any kind of friendship between us."

"What do you mean; Edward was not right for me?"

"I saw it from the beginning. Edward was obsessed with you. It wasn't normal. It sure wasn't love. Then there was the control. I saw it, even if no one else did. It was slow at first, simple. It appeared to be nothing but concern, but I could see it was more. I mean he even went as far as to claim that he would die without you."

"He went to The Volturi when he thought that I was dead."

"Yeah, knowing they would never kill him. And don't get me started on his little stunt. He knew Aro might have punished him, even forced him to join the guard, but he was never going to allow Edward's gift to go to waste."

"But he was the one who left me to begin with."

"Just him trying to control your relationship. Just like forcing you to marry him if he was going to change you, or forcing you to pick between him and Jacob. I could go on and on. It has always been about control with Edward and your relationship was nothing different. I know it is hard to see that, to believe that, but trust me when I say, you can't always see what is right in front of you until it is too late," I explained to her, demanding my own memories to stay buried.

"I just can't stop thinking that somehow all this is my fault."

"That is because that is what Edward wants you to believe. His fists slamming into your flesh over and over again as a reminder I'm sure would help beat it into your brain," I expressed to her, staring at the yellow bruises under the bright purple bruises.

"I don't know how it got this way. I never saw it coming. I never imagined Edward would ever hurt me like this. I can't lie and say that I did not feel some of the control you spoke of, but at the time I only saw love behind it. When I did start to see something darker in his eyes, it was too late. We were married and far away from anyone. I had no one to turn to, not that I would have. I thought that if I didn't think it, didn't admit it, even to myself, that it wouldn't be true," she whispered out loud, though it did not seem to be for my benefit. It seemed she was just voicing her hidden thoughts.

"The voices in your head are always the truth. We just tend to not listen to them. The truth is the Edward never loved you, he loved the control. Once you realize that, you will be able to let go of all the lies he fed you."

"Why are you doing this?" Bella asked me.

"Because you are worth it," I heard Jasper announce from the door before I could answer.


End file.
